Water officials urge cities to enforce restrictions

Warnings of a worsening drought haven't triggered tougher enforcement of watering restrictions in many South Florida communities.

Lack of rainfall since November makes this South Florida's worst dry season on record.

Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach issued no citations from January through May 1, according to the South Florida Water Management District. By contrast, Royal Palm Beach issued 100 citations and Boca Raton reported 72.

Deerfield Beach and Dania Beach similarly reported issuing no citations through May 1. Fort Lauderdale had 12 and Parkland 29.

Miami also did not report any citations through May 1, while Pinecrest had 207.

Most of South Florida remains under twice-a-week watering limits; restrictions of one kind or another have been in place since 2007.

The Water Management District on Tuesday called for cities and counties to step up enforcement.

"The dry conditions have raised concerns for the health of the water resources," District Deputy Executive Director Chip Merriam wrote in a May 1 letter to cities and counties. "The district needs support from local governments in enforcing the restrictions to protect the area's water supplies."

Before Tuesday's call to action, the district had been lax in holding cities and counties responsible for keeping up with reporting enforcement efforts. The reports released Tuesday showed blanks for most cities and counties from August until they picked up again in March.

Reports to the district showing how many citations that cities and counties issue are not mandatory, but there is a standing request for them, district spokesman Gabe Margasak said. The reporting efforts are stepped up as conditions warrant, he said.

For most of South Florida, watering is limited to Wednesday and Saturday for odd-numbered addresses. Even-numbered addresses can water on Thursday and Sunday. Lake Worth, Dania Beach and Hallandale Beach remain under once-a-week watering limits.

The district's call for increased code enforcement comes as the struggling economy leaves local governments dealing with budget cuts.

More layoffs will make it harder to have enough people to make sure the rules are followed, said Kurt Eismann, who will soon take over as head of Palm Beach County code enforcement.

Delray Beach code enforcement this month switched to earlier shifts to keep a closer eye on watering violators, said Al Berg, assistant director of community improvement.

"We are trying to put the word out there," Berg said. "The public has not paid as much attention to it as they should."